Improvement in water-elevators



PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAMR. CUNNINGHAM, OF

I3 ROOKIIYN, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-ELEVATORS.

Specification forming pai-tof Letters latcnt No. 35,013, dated April 22,1862.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. CUNNING- HAM, of the town of Brooklyn, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have in vented a new and useful Apparatus, being an Improved Machine for Raising Tater from Wells and Cisterns and Diseharging the Same; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a front view; Fig 3, a side view; and in Fig. ll it is shown as seen from above.

My machine consists, first, of the windlass W, with the crank 13, the rope S S, and the bucket I), these being the means used to raise the water; second, the actuatingdever F F, the detlecting-levers G G, the valve Q Q, the valve-rod M, the spiral spring P, and the inclined plane E, these being the appliances used to place the bucket over the trough A and discharge the water; third, the sliding journal-box '7, the spiral spring S S 8, the liange 10, and the rubber, ll, the result desired from the combination of these being the descent of the bucket to the surface of the water at a moderate speed without lowering by hand.

The drum of the windlass is constructed with a ange, 10, which serves the double purpose ot' preventing the rope from windin off the drum and of producing friction at its` periphery with the rubber', ll.

The bucket is of conical form, and has an opening in its bottom over which the valve Q Q is placed. It is also provided with a short spout, 1.5, which is fastened upon its bottom and which serves to discharge the water in a compact stream in the proper direction. The bucket is further provided with two cross-bars, H H and K K, which have holes through them at I and II of sufficient size to admitthe valverod M and allow it to move freely. Upon the "valve-rod, immediately over the cross-bar K K, is placed the nut O, which fixes the distance which the valve-rod M can descend into the bucket. The rod M is connected with the valveQ Q by the cha-in R. The rope S S is attached to the valve-rod at N, thus making the connection between the valve Q Q and the windla-ss W complete, and

enabling the operator to open t-he valve Q Q at pleasure. The chain R is used so that when the bucket strikes the water thc valve may open andthe bucket till from the bottom. The levers G G and F F are firmly set into the roller l at 14 14. and 1G, the roller T is set into and supported by the sockets 18 18, and it moves freely upon its axis. The actuating-lever F F is formed with a loop, through which the rope passes, as seen at 19.

In turning the windlass the bucket is drawn up, and at the instant that the bottom of the bucket is on a level with the top of the trough A the top of the bucket comes in eon tact with the actuating-lever F F, as shown at y, carrying it up, giving to the rollerT abackward motion. Thus a forward and upward movement is communicated to the detiectinglevers G G, indicated by the dotted lines z .2, carrying with them the bucket D until it is brought against the inclined plane E, which with the levers G G form aclamp which holds the bucket rmly until the valve is opened and the waterdischarged. The bucket being firmly held, the valve Q Q is opened by a Slight additional pressure upon the crank 13,whe1'e by the valve-rod M and the nut O are raised, the spring P com pressed, the chain R straight ened, and the valve Q Q opened, permitting the water to escape through the spout 15 in the direction indicated by the" blue tracing. As soon as the water is discharged from the bucket the pressure is removed from the crank. 13, the levers fall back to the position shown by the dotted lines G G and F F, the rope and bucket to the dotted lines S S, the spring I expands, the valve-rod )I sinks into the bucket, so that the Vnutj() rests upon the cross-bar K K, as shown at 20, the valve closes, and the bucket descends to the surface of the wat-er without further attention. This result is obtained by means of a self-regulating brake, the outlines of which are seen at I 2 3.

lhe journal if, upon which the windlass turns, is placed in a sliding journal-box, 7, the lower part of which is of cylindrical form, and is set inside of the spiral spring 8 S S.

The red line l 5 indicates a shoulder with which the jou rn al-box is formed, which shoulder restsupon the spring at 5, and the journal-box is kept in its place by the parts marked 9 9, which slide in grooves of corresponding form made in the material marked 17 17 The spring S S 8 is so adjusted that the weight of the Water and bucket is sut cient to compress the spring S S S, so that the journalbox 7 slides down and the Windlass is brought to the position shown in Fig. 2, leaving a space at 21 between the Hange l0 and the rubber, l1, thus allowing the windlass to revolve Without friction with the rubber at ll. As soon, however, as the Water is discharged and the bucket and rope permitted to assume the position shown by the dotted lines S S, the'v Weight of the Water being removed, the spring 8 8 8 expands, raising the journal-box 7 and with it the windlass lV, bringing the periphery of the flange l0 into frictional contact 'with the rubber, ll, thus preventing a too rapid descent of the bucket;

The pressure of the spring 8 S S is regulated by turning the set-screw l2. If the friction at 11 Were uniform during the descent of the bucket, it is plain that the motion of the bucket Would be one of accelerating Velocity, thereby making the utility of this part of my invention doubtful; but the friction at 1l is notuniform.

The spring 8 8 8 presses with Y nearly uniform force; but it has, Whenthe bucket starts upon its descent, to support the Whole Weight of the bucket and rope, thereby reducing the friction at 1l; but the Weight of the bucket and rope is gradually removed from the spring S S 8 as the rope uncoils in the direction of the crank, leaving the full force of the spring 8 S S to be employed in producing friction at 11,thus counteracting the acceleration of motion and insuring the descent of the bucket at a gentle WM. Rf CUNNINGHAM.

Vitnesses:

SAML. SToRER, R. C. PAUL. 

